Riverside County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Riverside County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,477,722 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 339.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.80% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 775,042 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Riverside County grew by 20.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,477,722 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Riverside County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.5% of residents. That is 0.8 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 558,378 22.5% +0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 558,211 22.5% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 478,950 19.3% -0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 369,874 14.9% -0.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.1% of the people living in Riverside County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% California 49.9%
- Men 49.9% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Riverside County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Riverside County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $93,715 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.15% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Riverside County is about 5% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $479,061 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,900 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Riverside County is about 21.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,900 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Riverside County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 234 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 56.1 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 234 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,246 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 19,674 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,107 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Riverside County is 28 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Riverside County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.16 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Riverside County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Riverside County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Riverside County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Riverside County, CA is typical in size for this group, 2,477,722 residents against a local median of 2,679,002, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Riverside County, CA apart most is commute: 28.1 min, 23% above the local median of 22.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $479,061 against a local median of $608,495, 21% below it. The counties themselves spread 7.7 min on commute, so Riverside County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Riverside County, CA has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside County, CA | 2,477,722 | $93,715 #3/5 | $479,061 #3/5 | 28.1 min #5/5 |
| Imperial County, CA | 180,111 | $57,720 | $263,087 | 17.9 min |
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | $106,588 | $797,190 | 22.6 min |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 2,193,778 | $86,328 | $419,799 | 25.6 min |
| Orange County, CA | 3,164,225 | $116,542 | $1,003,714 | 23.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Riverside County, California.
How big is Riverside County, California by population?
About 2,477,722 people live in Riverside County, California, in 775,042 households of 3.2 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Riverside County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Riverside County, California has 339 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Riverside County, California?
The median home costs 5.1 times the median household income ($479,061 against $93,715), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,900 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Riverside County, California?
21.9% of adults in Riverside County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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